Muybridge

Eadweard Muybridge

Eadweard Muybridge, circa 1880
Name	Eadweard Muybridge
Birth name
Birth date	April 9, 1830
Birth place	Kingston upon Thames, England
Death date	May 8, 1904
Death place	Kingston upon Thames, England
Alma mater
Occupation	Photographer, Inventor
Years active
Organization
Known for	Pioneering work in photographic studies of motion
Notable works
Spouse(s)
Website

Eadweard Muybridge (born Edward James Muggeridge, April 9, 1830 – May 8, 1904) was an English photographer known for his pioneering work in photographic studies of motion and early work in motion-picture projection. He adopted the name "Eadweard Muybridge" believing it to be the original Anglo-Saxon form of his name.

Early Life and Career

Muybridge was born in Kingston upon Thames, England. He emigrated to the United States in the early 1850s, initially working as a bookseller. After a stagecoach accident in 1860, he returned to England to recover, where he took up photography.

Photographic Work

Muybridge returned to the United States in 1867 and became known for his large photographs of Yosemite Valley, California. His work was widely acclaimed for its technical skill and artistic composition.

Motion Studies

In 1872, Muybridge was hired by Leland Stanford, a businessman and race-horse owner, to settle a debate about whether all four of a horse's hooves leave the ground at the same time during a trot. Muybridge developed a technique using multiple cameras to capture motion in stop-motion photographs. In 1878, he successfully photographed a horse in motion using a series of 12 cameras, creating a sequence of images that showed the horse's movement.

Zoopraxiscope

Muybridge invented the zoopraxiscope, a device for projecting motion pictures that pre-dated the flexible perforated film strip used in cinematography. The zoopraxiscope projected images from rotating glass disks in rapid succession to give the impression of motion.

Later Life and Legacy

Muybridge continued his work in motion studies, photographing various animals and humans in motion. His work laid the foundation for the development of motion pictures and influenced artists and scientists alike.

Muybridge returned to England in 1894, where he continued to lecture and publish his work. He died in 1904 in Kingston upon Thames.

Influence and Impact

Muybridge's work had a significant impact on both the art and science of motion. His studies of motion were used by artists such as Thomas Eakins and Marcel Duchamp, and his techniques influenced the development of cinematography.

Also see

• Zoopraxiscope
• Chronophotography
• Leland Stanford
• History of film
• Photography